Important Message regarding merger of Wiley and Blackwell

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Of possible interest.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Wiley InterScience <wiscience@wiley.com>
Date: Nov 20, 2006 4:55 PM
Subject: Important Message regarding merger of Wiley and Blackwell
To: Ann Okerson <ann.okerson@yale.edu>

Important Message to All Wiley InterScience Customers

Following the Friday, November 17th, announcement of the planned 
acquisition of Blackwell by Wiley and the merger of Blackwellwith 
Wiley's STM division, Blackwell and Wiley wish to assure their 
journal customers that this will have no effect on their 2007 
orders. 2007 subscription prices will remain as announced and 
published in our respective price lists. Pricing for licensing 
online access to journals for 2007 is also unaffected. Wiley 
licenses will not include Blackwell journals and vice versa. All 
orders and inquiries should be sent to your usual contacts at 
each publisher.

------------------------------

Joint Letter from CEOs of Wiley and Blackwell

Dear Colleague,

We are writing to inform you of the planned merger of Blackwell 
Publishing (Holdings) Ltd. and the global Scientific, Technical, 
and Medical business of John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

The two companies have entered into a definitive agreement. Wiley 
will be acquiring the shareholdings of Blackwell Publishing. 
Blackwell Ltd., the book library service and retailing business, 
is a separate entity and is not part of the acquisition.

The publishing programs of Blackwell Publishing and Wiley, two of 
the world's most respected global publishers, are highly 
complementary. The new merged organization will publish 
approximately 1,250 scholarly peer-reviewed journals (over 1 
million pages) and an extensive collection of books with global 
appeal across the entire range of sciences, technology, medicine 
and health, social sciences and humanities. We will be the 
world's pre-eminent society publisher, benefiting from close 
relationships with a broad range of academic and professional 
organizations.

There is great compatibility between our markets, missions and 
values. Blackwell has always emphasized the importance of 
integrity, stability and commitment to scholarship. The 
leadership of Wiley, including the Wileyfamily, share these 
values. Blackwell and Wiley have similar cultures, which is a 
primary reason for the merger. Both companies place high value on 
collaborative relationships based on a solid foundation of trust 
and integrity. Together, we will deliver even greater value than 
we could as separate entities to our customers, authors, society 
and other publishing partners.

Please do not hesitate to call your usual contact if you have any 
immediate questions. We will be in regular communication with you 
about any future changes. Enclosed is a copy of the press release 
announcing the planned transaction 
<http://dmmsclick.wiley.com/click.asp?p=2073174&m=5732&u=69944>.

Sincerely,

William J. Pesce
President & Chief Executive Officer
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Rene Olivieri
Chief Executive Officer
Blackwell Publishing, Ltd.